


(we were only falling) together

by PrincessAuroraSnow (ElizabethJonesIII)



Series: (we were only falling) [1]
Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Related Fandoms
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Idk what to tag this as, fresley owns my soul, i wrote this for myself but you should read it, just fred's thoughts throughout this episode, kinda fluffy/kinda angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 01:36:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElizabethJonesIII/pseuds/PrincessAuroraSnow
Summary: Based on episode 3x03, "That Old Gang of Mine."What were Fred's thoughts when Gunn's old gang attacked Karatos.





	(we were only falling) together

**Author's Note:**

> On my most recent rewatch of Angel, I finally decided to write a fic that I've wanted to write for a while. I always thought the scenes between Fred and Wesley were very cute in this episode. So I wrote this, and I hope you enjoy it. <3

Cordelia took her to a place called Karatos, a karaoke bar, saying that she would be completely safe with her. She even brought Wesley for extra protection, she said. 

As soon as they sat down, Cordelia handed her the book of songs and told her to pick one to sing, while Wesley got the drinks. There were so many songs from, most of which she had never even heard of.

Fred got up onstage and sang her song, intently watching the monitor, not wanting to look at the audience.

Then she heard a gunshot and felt demon blood hit her face as she fell to the ground. Her ears were still ringing when the next shot left the chamber. She started to stand up when she heard the third gunshot. 

Wesley came just as she got back on her feet and picked her up and set her behind the table where he and Cordelia were hiding. By the time they arrived at the table, Fred couldn't stop shaking. Wesley's hand was on her shoulder and the warmth of it kept her grounded. 

Her ears could hear the people talking, but she couldn't make out the words, she wasn't sure she wanted to. So she focused on what was going on in front of her. She could see Wesley looking over the table at whatever was going on behind it. She could feel Cordelia's hand gripping hers, she felt comforted by the fact that she squeezed it a little harder then she should've. Fred thought that that meant she was just as scared as she was.

Suddenly Wesley stood up and she almost reached her hand up to keep him there. Somehow with him there, even with the fighting and the yelling, she felt safe. 

Wesley talked to whoever was out there for a few minutes and then Gunn threw his keys. Cordelia picked them up and helped Fred stand up and tried to make her way to the entrance. But someone stopped her and told Cordelia that Fred had to stay behind. Cordelia was firm in her stance about the fact that she wasn't going anywhere without her.

Then someone grabbed Fred's arm and tried to grab onto her waist. But Wesley grabbed her other arm and pulled her to his body. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, and his arm came around her waist. Fred buried her head in Wesley's shirt, she wanted to close her eyes and imagine that she was somewhere else. Somewhere that she couldn't hear the gunshots, somewhere where she couldn't smell the metallic taste of blood. If she could just ignore the sound of everyone's voices, maybe she could imagine that the blue of Wesley's shirt was the clear sky over her home in Texas.

Fred hears Gunn shouting at them, pleading at them, and she wishes for a moment that she was anywhere else in the universe. Even Pylea, at least there she knew how to avoid getting killed. Here, she was so frightened that feels like she could die, just from the pure fear.

Soon, Wesley sits her down in a chair and he moves to leave. She whispers out a quiet please and she whimpers, hoping that he can understand without her saying any words. Her brain cannot form complete thoughts, much less sentences. Wesley seems to understand because he grabs a seat and sits down next to her and he gives Fred his hand. She takes it willingly, the feel of something solid keeping her from going completely insane.

Fred hopes this is a dream, she hopes this isn't real. But she knows it is. She had learned to distinguish between fake and reality long ago. If something good was happening, it was fake. If something bad was happening, it was real.

One of the men seems to get antsy, he can't sit or stand still. He looked around the room, his eyes landed on Fred for a moment. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. The only thing she could do was squeeze Wesley's hand until she was sure that she was drawing blood. The man looked away, and Fred turned toward Wesley, he showed no signs of pain from her fingernails. 

He must be to focused in the moment, she thought.

Suddenly, another gunshot filled the air, followed by laughter. 

Fred screamed, she couldn't take this anymore. Wesley got up and wrapped his arms around her. Her hands reached to hold onto them. For a moment, the scent of Wesley's cologne blocked out the smell of blood, but only for a brief second.

Fred wonders if perhaps she's still in Pylea, maybe she's gone totally crazy, and this is all a hallucination. But she couldn't imagine Angel or any of the people she had met since she came back. They were so real, they couldn't be imaginary. They couldn't. Could they?

Angel eventually arrived. Fred wasn't sure if it took him minutes, hour, or days. All she knew in this moment is the feel of Wesley's arms around her. She wonders how long it's been, before today, that she had felt someone hold her. Fred used to hold herself every night, she needed to just to sleep. But the feel of someone's arms around her is more wonderful than she remembers. 

Fred doesn't think she's ever been held as gently as she is being held right now. Not even by her parents, with them, the hugs were always fierce and filled with love. Wesley's hug was filled with comfort and the underlying softness of caring. 

They were fighting; Fred wanted this all to end.

The man that started all this told the room that if one of them shot Angel, all of them would be able to go home. 

Fred stood up.

"Ah, we've got a volunteer," the man says

Fred looked back at Wesley, at the confused look on his face. 

She looked to Angel, "I'm sorry, Angel, I….I don't want to die." 

"It's all right, Fred," Angel replies.

Fred pointed the crossbow at Angel.

"Now, you want to shoot at the heart, otherwise it won't work," the man whispers in her ear.

Fred paused, then pointed it at him.

"Although I thought I just might shoot you in the throat instead. Now if I pierce one of your carotid arteries, considering the temperature in her - 'cause I think someone shot the thermostat - the blood loss is gonna be heavy. And there's a better than fair chance I'll puncture a vocal cord and you won't even be able to scream. But you'll want to when the blood loss to your brain results in a cerebral vascular event. That's a stroke, I wasn't trying to sound snooty."

She thinks she hears Angel chuckle before they start fighting, and Wesley grabs her hand and puts her next to Cordelia. Cordelia wraps an arm protectively around Fred's shoulder as the guys' fight.

Fred leans into the touch and closes her eyes, and when she opens them next, it's all over.

\--- 

Next thing Fred knows Wesley is putting her in a cab and she feels safe for the first time in a long time. But then he moves to leave.

"Please don't leave," she begs.

"I'll return in a short moment, there is something I must take care of," Wesley says.

She watches him walk to where Gunn is standing, watches them speak, and then he's walking back to her.

Wesley sits down and tells the driver the address of the Hyperion.

When he sits back, he looks at Fred and gives her a soft smile. Fred blushes as she holds out her hand, silently asking Wesley to hold it for just a minute longer. He understands and takes her hand and laces his fingers with hers.

Fred leans her head against Wesley's shoulder, and for the first time in five years, she feels like she can breathe.

\---

**Author's Note:**

> I've actually got two more stories planned for this series, and hopefully, I'll get to them soon.


End file.
